Jurors ruled Friday that a man who shot a woman in the head and arm during a convenience store robbery is guilty of armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
However, they found Vandy Mack Daniels not guilty of kidnapping, said Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Keith McIntyre.
Daniels walked into Mighty Mike's Hot Stop #111 on West Main Street in the wee hours of the morning March 6, 2006, hopped onto the counter and pointed a silver RG .22 caliber revolver at Sharika Gardner, yelling at her to give him money and threatening "I'm not playing with you."
He fired a round that ricocheted off a wall and landed beside her Bible where she had been studying, then fired off two more rounds when she could not open the cash register. A video shown in court Thursday showed a masked man police said was Daniels yelling threats as he shot Gardner in the arm, then in the head.
Gardner, who testified Thursday about the robbery and said she felt the bullets when they entered her body, recovered from the wounds after being taken to the Medical College of Georgia.
Jurors deliberated about an hour and a half Friday before finding Daniels guilty on all counts but the kidnapping charge, McIntyre said.
Bulloch County Superior Court Judge William Woodrum sentenced Daniels to life without parole for the armed robbery charge; 20 years for the aggravated assault charge and five years - all consecutive - for the charge possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
The sentence was a duplication of that which Daniels received earlier this year in Jenkins County for an armed robbery he committed the day after he robbed the Statesboro store. For that conviction he received life without parole as well, McIntyre said.
Daniels has a lengthy criminal record, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections web site (www.dcor.state.ga.us).
In 1983, Daniels was convicted in Jenkins County of two counts of aggravated assault, second degree criminal damage to property, and theft by taking.
In 1984, he was convicted in Bulloch County of escape, and in Jenkins county of armed robbery. In 1996 Daniels was convicted of attempted armed robbery in Screven County.
He was already serving the most recent sentence for the Millen armed robbery at Georgia State Prison, according to the site.
Daniels' trial in Bulloch County began Thursday morning but was delayed due to his destroying two sets of civilian clothing and a jail jumpsuit that morning.
Before entering the courtroom, Daniels ripped up the first set of clothing that belonged to the Bulloch County Jail, donated for use when inmates need to appear in court and have no suitable civilian clothing. He told defense attorney Stephen Yekel he wanted to appear in court wearing his jail jump suit, a request that was denied, but promised he would not destroy any more clothing.
Deputies delivered a second set of clothing and Daniels wore them when he entered the courtroom Thursday morning. However, during a recess where he was taken to a holding room, he destroyed the second set of clothing as well as his black and white striped jail jumpsuit.
When deputies brought out the remains of the clothing to be submitted as evidence at Woodrum's request, they discovered Daniels had also urinated on them.
Daniels ended up being tried wearing a green jumpsuit, leg shackles and handcuffs.
However, they found Vandy Mack Daniels not guilty of kidnapping, said Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Keith McIntyre.
Daniels walked into Mighty Mike's Hot Stop #111 on West Main Street in the wee hours of the morning March 6, 2006, hopped onto the counter and pointed a silver RG .22 caliber revolver at Sharika Gardner, yelling at her to give him money and threatening "I'm not playing with you."
He fired a round that ricocheted off a wall and landed beside her Bible where she had been studying, then fired off two more rounds when she could not open the cash register. A video shown in court Thursday showed a masked man police said was Daniels yelling threats as he shot Gardner in the arm, then in the head.
Gardner, who testified Thursday about the robbery and said she felt the bullets when they entered her body, recovered from the wounds after being taken to the Medical College of Georgia.
Jurors deliberated about an hour and a half Friday before finding Daniels guilty on all counts but the kidnapping charge, McIntyre said.
Bulloch County Superior Court Judge William Woodrum sentenced Daniels to life without parole for the armed robbery charge; 20 years for the aggravated assault charge and five years - all consecutive - for the charge possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
The sentence was a duplication of that which Daniels received earlier this year in Jenkins County for an armed robbery he committed the day after he robbed the Statesboro store. For that conviction he received life without parole as well, McIntyre said.
Daniels has a lengthy criminal record, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections web site (www.dcor.state.ga.us).
In 1983, Daniels was convicted in Jenkins County of two counts of aggravated assault, second degree criminal damage to property, and theft by taking.
In 1984, he was convicted in Bulloch County of escape, and in Jenkins county of armed robbery. In 1996 Daniels was convicted of attempted armed robbery in Screven County.
He was already serving the most recent sentence for the Millen armed robbery at Georgia State Prison, according to the site.
Daniels' trial in Bulloch County began Thursday morning but was delayed due to his destroying two sets of civilian clothing and a jail jumpsuit that morning.
Before entering the courtroom, Daniels ripped up the first set of clothing that belonged to the Bulloch County Jail, donated for use when inmates need to appear in court and have no suitable civilian clothing. He told defense attorney Stephen Yekel he wanted to appear in court wearing his jail jump suit, a request that was denied, but promised he would not destroy any more clothing.
Deputies delivered a second set of clothing and Daniels wore them when he entered the courtroom Thursday morning. However, during a recess where he was taken to a holding room, he destroyed the second set of clothing as well as his black and white striped jail jumpsuit.
When deputies brought out the remains of the clothing to be submitted as evidence at Woodrum's request, they discovered Daniels had also urinated on them.
Daniels ended up being tried wearing a green jumpsuit, leg shackles and handcuffs.